“The Federal Trade Commission is backing Apple in the company’s battle with Google over standard-essential patents (SEP), arguing that any attempt to ban a product for allegedly infringing an SEP ‘risks harming competition, innovation, and consumers,'” John Paczkowski reports for AllThingsD.

“The patents Motorola had attempted to assert against Apple were SEPs, which it is obligated to license on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms,” Paczkowski reports. “And in the FTC’s eyes, using the threat of SEP-based injunctions to demand higher royalties or other favorable licensing terms is bad business. It’s a ‘patent hold-up,’ to quote the agency’s term.”

Paczkowski reports, “It’s worth noting that this isn’t the first time the FTC has sounded off on SEP-driven lawsuits and Google’s efforts to use them to enhance its negotiating stance. Back in June, the agency told the Federal Trade Commission that Google’s request for import bans against Microsoft’s Xbox and Apple’s iPhone for their alleged infringement of its SEPs could hurt competition.”

I can just hear the lawyers telling Schmidt and Page how ill-advised it would be to use SEP’s against anyone and that ultimately they would only harm themselves but the Mole & his evil protege just telling them to shut up and proceed anyway. May they get their comeuppance in spades. Really this kind of abuse should result in the revocation of those patents from the offender and free for all to use thereafter.

This type of thing could easily be Fixed.
When a standard is set the price to be paid by any one\company to use the patents included in the standard should also be set and published then every one is on equal terms and knows ahead of time before they vote on adopting said standard.

“And in the FTC’s eyes, using the threat of SEP-based injunctions to demand higher royalties or other favorable licensing terms is bad business.”

It’s also incredibly DESPERATE. WTF is going on over at Google that they have to fake this BS in public? This isn’t just ‘EVIL’, it’s lame FAIL from the outset. DUH it’s groundless rhetoric. WAKE UP G00GLE!😯